Superstorm Sandy Causes Flooding in New York City Subways

Flooding has been reported in New York City's subways. There was flooding into subways from the record water levels at Battery Park. Seven subway stations were also flooded when the East River flooded. MTA Chairman Joseph J.Lhota issued the following statement about the record flooding:

"The New York City subway system is 108 years old, but it has never faced a disaster as devastating as what we experienced last night. Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on our entire transportation system, in every borough and county of the region. It has brought down trees, ripped out power and inundated tunnels, rail yards and bus depots. As of last night, seven subway tunnels under the East River flooded. Metro-North Railroad lost power from 59th Street to Croton-Harmon on the Hudson Line and to New Haven on the New Haven Line. The Long Island Rail Road evacuated its West Side Yards and suffered flooding in one East River tunnel. The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel is flooded from end to end and the Queens Midtown Tunnel also took on water and was closed. Six bus garages were disabled by high water. We are assessing the extent of the damage and beginning the process of recovery. Our employees have shown remarkable dedication over the past few days, and I thank them on behalf of every New Yorker. In 108 years, our employees have never faced a challenge like the one that confronts us now. All of us at the MTA are committed to restoring the system as quickly as we can to help bring New York back to normal."

The MTA won't be able to give a recovery estimate until they are able to assess all the damage, but it does not sound good based on Lhota's statement. The Wall Street Journal has a story about the subway flooding here.